How the Spectre Opening Credits Would Have Looked with Radiohead’s Rejected Bond Theme

The rumors were true! Radiohead did record a theme for the latest Bond movie, Spectre. But director Sam Mendes or the producers, in their infinite wisdom, decided to go with a track from Sam Smith instead. While both Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and Smith are masters of the falsetto, the Radiohead tune has more of a timeless depth to it. Sadly, the Smith song doesn’t seem like it will go down in history as an all-time Bond classic. More’s the pity since the franchise just came off its first Best Original Song Oscar win with Adele’s “Skyfall.”

But despite the fact that his collaboration with Mendes and 007 didn’t work out, Yorke made his track, titled simply “Spectre,” available for everyone on Friday as a Christmas gift of sorts and an enterprising denizen of the internet laid it over the Spectre opening credits to give everyone a sense of what might have been. We think Yorke—who was in a giving, Star Wars-esque mood on Christmas—would approve.